The Dallas Mavericks (23-18) defeated the Chicago Bulls (23-16) 83-77 on Friday.
The effects of four games in five nights finally started to show on the Bulls in the second half. The home team did start off impressively well, with Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose bringing some fresher legs to the contest after having sat out the Thursday night tilt against the Sixers. They jumped out to a 46-36 lead by intermission, but it was a different story after intermission. An exhausted Chicago squad could only manage 31 total points in the second half, and two double-digit scorers over the entire game. Jimmy Butler, fresh off a jaw-dropping 53-point performance versus the Sixers, could only manage four points, five rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals over 36 minutes.
The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki's 21 points, which he supplemented with seven rebounds and a block. Deron Williams provided excellent support with 18 points, six assists and three rebounds. Zaza Pachulia posted a solid nine points and 10 rebounds, his fourth straight game with double-digit boards and seventh in his last eight contests. J.J. Barea led the Mavericks' bench with nine points, three assists and a pair of rebounds over an efficient 20 minutes.
Dallas improved to 23-18 and remain in second place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They take on the first-place Spurs in San Antonio on Sunday.
Chicago was unsurprisingly led by their two most rested starters. Rose posted a team-high 18 points, and complemented it with four rebounds, a pair of assists and a pair of steals, while Gasol was able to tally 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal. Taj Gibson turned in a typically solid performance with nine points and 11 rebounds, his second consecutive game with double-digit boards. Etwaun Moore paced the reserves with eight points, three rebounds and an assist.
The Bulls fell to 23-16 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Monday afternoon.
